Hormones And Your Body

Hormones like estrogen, testosterone, adrenaline and insulin are extremely vital chemical messengers that affect many parts of your overall health. Hormones are secreted by different glands and organs, including your thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, testicles and pancreas. All the endocrine system functions together to control the rate of hormones circulating throughout your body, and if one or more is even slightly imbalanced, it can cause widespread, major health problems.

Conventional treatments for hormonal imbalances usually include synthetic hormone replacement therapies, birth control pills, insulin injections, thyroid medications and more. Unfortunately, for the majority of people suffering from hormonal imbalance, relying on these types of synthetic treatments often does three things:

It makes people dependent on taking prescription drugs for the rest of their lives in order to keep symptoms under control.

It simply masks the patient’s symptoms, but doesn’t solve them, which means that the patient can continue to develop abnormalities in other areas of the body while the disorder progresses.

It causes a higher risk for serious side effects such as stroke, osteoporosis, anxiety, reproductive problems, cancer and more.

The good news is there are ways to balance your hormones naturally. Below you’ll learn what type of hormonal imbalance your specific symptoms might be pointing to, what the root causes of your hormonal problem are, and how you can help treat the problem without experiencing the negative side effects associated with synthetic treatments.

What Is the Endocrine System?

To fully understand your hormone health, it certainly helps to know about your endocrine system and how your hormones work together to maintain homeostasis. The endocrine system is in charge of coordinating the relationship between different organs and hormones, which are chemicals that are released into your bloodstream from cells within your endocrine glands.

Once your hormones are in circulation, they target specific tissues or cells by binding to receptors that are located inside the cell or on its surface. These hormones work as chemical messengers and play a key role in your body’s daily functions.

The endocrine system is made up of many glands, including the pituitary gland or “master gland” that’s responsible for sending information from your brain to other glands in your body. The pituitary gland also produces many hormones that travel throughout the body and have different important functions.

The pituitary gland is made up of two different tissue types: the anterior pituitary that synthesizes and releases classic hormones, and the posterior pituitary gland that secretes neurohormones that are made in the hypothalamus.

Two hormones that are secreted by the anterior pituitary gland are growth hormone, which is responsible for your proper growth and development, and prolactin, which is the hormone that stimulates milk production after childbirth.

Tropic hormones are also produced and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, which is an endocrine gland, and they also target other endocrine glands. These hormones include:

thyroid-stimulating hormone (also called thyrotropin)

follicle-stimulating hormone

luteinizing hormone

adrenocorticotropic hormone

The posterior pituitary gland doesn’t produce hormones on its own, but stores and secretes two hormones made in the hypothalamic region, vasopressin and oxytocin, and then releases them into the bloodstream.

Other important glands of the endocrine system include the pineal gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, thymus gland and adrenal glands.

There are two major groups of hormones that circulate the human body — those that derive from amino acids (protein hormones, peptides and amines) and those that derive from lipids (steroids). Here’s a quick breakdown of these hormone subgroups:

Amine hormones: Hormones that are synthesized from the amino acids tryptophan (such as melatonin) and tyrosine (such as thyroid hormones and dopamine).

Peptide hormones: Hormones that consist of short chain amino acids and include antidiuretic hormone (called vasopressin) and oxytocin.

Protein hormones: Hormones that consist of longer polypeptides and include growth hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.

Steroid hormones: Hormones that are derived from cholesterol and include testosterone, estrogens and cortisol.

When these hormones send messages, they are received by hormone receptors that process the message and signal specific event or cellular mechanisms that initiate the target cell’s response.

As you can see, the entire endocrine system works together to control the level of hormones  that circulate throughout your body. When just one of these hormones is even slightly imbalanced, it can lead to widespread health problems that affect your growth, sexual development and function, sleep, metabolism and hunger. (1)

Signs & Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalances

Some of the most common signs and symptoms of hormone imbalances include:

Infertility and irregular periods

Weight gain or weight loss (that’s unexplained and not due to intentional changes in your diet)

Depression and anxiety

Fatigue

Insomnia

Low libido

Changes in appetite

Digestive issues

Hair loss and hair thinning

Symptoms of hormonal imbalances can range dramatically depending on what type of disorder or illness they cause. For example, high estrogen can contribute to problems that include endometriosis and reproductive issues, while symptoms of diabetes often include weight gain, changes in appetite, nerve damage and problems with eyesight.

Some specific problems associated with some of the most common hormonal imbalances include:

Estrogen dominance: changes in sleep patterns, changes in weight and appetite, higher perceived stress, slowed metabolism

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): infertility, weight gain, higher risk for diabetes, acne, abnormal hair growth

Low estrogen: low sex drive, reproductive problems, menstrual irregularity, changes in mood

Hypothyroidism: slowed metabolism, weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, digestive issues, irregular periods

Low testosterone: erectile dysfunction, muscle loss, weight gain, fatigue, mood-related problems

Hyperthyroidism & Grave’s disease: anxiety, thinning hair, weight loss, IBS, trouble sleeping, irregular heartbeats

Diabetes: weight gain, nerve damage (neuropathy), higher risk for vision loss, fatigue, trouble breathing, dry mouth, skin problems

Adrenal fatigue: fatigue, muscle aches and pains, anxiety and depression, trouble sleeping, brain fog, reproductive problems

Risk Factors & Causes of Hormonal Imbalances

Hormonal imbalances are multi-factorial disorders, meaning they are caused by a combination of factors such as your diet, medical history, genetics, stress levels and exposure to toxins from your environment. Some of the major contributors to hormonal imbalances include:

Food allergies and gut issues: An expanding field of new research shows that your gut health plays a significant role in hormone regulation. If you have leaky gut syndrome or a lack of beneficial probiotic bacteria lining your intestinal wall, you’re more susceptible to hormonal problems, including diabetes and obesity. 

That’s because inflammation usually stems from your gut and then impacts nearly every aspect of your health.

Being overweight or obese

High levels of inflammation caused by a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle

Genetic susceptibility

Toxicity (exposure to pesticides, toxins, viruses, cigarettes, excessive alcohol and harmful chemicals) 

High amounts of stress, and a lack of enough sleep and rest.

Information credit: Dr. Axe